After the fall of Rome and before the Renaissance, people lived within a grim era known as the Dark Ages. Inside The Medieval Horse you will learn about the Middle Ages and discover how horses defined this time period by shedding light on the daily hardships people faced. You'll understand the various roles people held in society, and the different horse breeds bred for them. From battling in war to harvesting crops, the horse was the ultimate survival tool of this time. "During the Middle Ages - the world became very interconnected. There were horses used everywhere for many things."

Comprehensive and illustrated study of the horse in the mediaeval and early Tudor period. Ann Hyland discusses the working horse, warhorse, horse breeding and trading and the whole infrastructure of grooms, farriers, wheelwrights and cordwainers which kept the mediaeval equine world running.

An engaging and informative survey of medieval pet keeping which also examines their representation in art and literature.

In a series of essays readers will find information about modern scholarship on the subject of chivalry and various suggestions for ways to teach some familiar and unfamiliar chivalric materials. Short bibliographies are provided for teachers' further use.

Examines horse breeding around the world during the period. Looks at methods and techniques in sedentary and mobile economies, concentrating mainly on the Middle Ages, but the ideas of classical authors are assembled fully for comparison with those of medieval Arab and non-Arab authors. A conclusion

The figure of a knight on horseback is the emblem of medieval chivalry. Much has been written on the ideology and practicalities of knighthood as portrayed in medieval romance, especially Arthurian romance, and it is surprising that so little attention was hitherto granted to the knight's closest companion, the horse. This study examines the horse as a social indicator, as the knight's animal alter ego in his spiritual peregrinations and earthly adventures, the ups and downs of chivalric adventure, as well as the relations between the lady and her palfrey in romance. Both medieval authors and their audiences knew more about the symbolism and practice of horsemanship than most readers do today. By providing the background to the descriptions of horses and horsemanship in Arthurian romance, this study deepens the readers' appreciation of these texts. At the same time, critical reading of romance supplies information about the ideology and daily practice of horsemanship in the Middle Ages that is otherwise impossible to obtain from other sources, be it archaeology, chronicles or administrative documentation.

Identifies the technological innovations of the middle ages, noting how such ubiquitous items as eyeglasses, books, arabic numbers, underwear, banks, the game of chess, clocks, and domesticated cats came into being during the period.